2021 Baxter Springs Tornado
Introduction The Welch-Picher-Baxter Springs tornado was a violent tornado that occurred on May 19, 2021. This tornado was part of the Tornado Oubreak of May 17-21, 2021, that affected portions of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. This outbreak produced 2 EF4 tornadoes and 67 total tornadoes. Tornado Track At 4:40 PM on May 19, 2021, a tornado warning was issued for a strong supercell with a strong hook signature on radar. 7 minutes later at 4:47 PM, the tornado touched down south of Welch, OK. The tornado entered Welch as an EF2 stovepipe tornado. After the tornado left Welch, it tracked near Picher, going through at 0.5 miles wide with winds in the low EF4 range. The tornado went through a recycling period and turned into an EF2 tornado before tracking closer to Baxter Springs. The tornado grew into a high-end EF4 with winds up to 200 mph as it entered Baxter Springs, prompting a tornado emergency. The tornado slammed Baxter Springs, killing 1 person who was sheltering in their home. After leaving Baxter Springs, the tornado continued to track towards Galena. As the tornado neared Galena, it significantly weakened into an EF2 tornado, doing damage to some farmhouses and barns. The tornado dissipated shortly after at 5:32 PM. Impact This tornado went through a heavily populated area of Boylston, so the damage was incredible. When the National Weather Service got to Welch, they had no idea what was going on in Baxter Springs. The damage surveys took several days, due to the towns being spread apart and other rating teams in other locations. The tornado was given a preliminary rating of high-end EF3 because they had not yet observed the damage in Baxter Springs or the pockets of EF4 damage in Picher. The total damages from the tornado came out to be approximately 1.3 billion dollars. The president made time to go and visit the victims of the tornado on May 22, 2019. Casualties There was only one casualty with this tornado which is astounding due to the strength of the tornado. The casualty was due to a man's home being swept clean off of its foundation. The home did not have anchor bolts in place. After the tornado, Baxter Springs made it building code to have anchor bolts in the foundations of the homes to prevent future fatalities. Media The media handled this tornado well, making sure tornado warnings got on TV and social media, which is why there were so few fatalities. There was later a documentary made about this tornado because of the lead time residents had. Due to many people getting the word out, there were countless lives that were saved. When the president made their visit, sections of it were broadcast on live television. The president later made a statement about the strength and resilience of the people of Baxter Springs and other areas impacted by the tornadoes. Category:Tornadoes Category:Deadly Tornadoes Category:Violent Tornadoes Category:Costly Tornadoes Category:Catastrophic Tornadoes Category:F4/EF4 Tornadoes Category:TornadoMaster Category:Tornadoes of 2021